Nokia joins 6 other big Microsoft fails

Microsoft Corp.’s acquisition of Nokia hasn’t gone well, to say the least. The tech giant is cutting thousands of jobs and taking a $7.6 billion charge related to the purchase of the once-hot, now-struggling Finnish maker of mobile phones.

Microsoft’s
MSFT, +1.18%
misstep is nothing new for this company, however. While Apple Inc.
AAPL, +1.81%
has launched the mobile revolution with the iPhone and iPad and become the most valuable company in the world, The House That Bill Gates Built has suffered a series of fails as it tries to catch up with it and younger Silicon Valley rivals.

With Wednesday’s announcement, the Nokia acquisition — which closed just over a year ago and was the last big move from former Chief Executive Steve Ballmer — joins that list.

Here are other notable fails:

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Slide 2 of 8

Zune

The first time Microsoft tried to catch up to Apple’s lead in mobile technology was with this MP3 player, which launched in 2006, had some innovative sharing features and was comparable to the iPod.

But Microsoft was just too far behind what Apple had built with iTunes. After selling more than 2 million Zunes in the first couple of years, Microsoft eventually discontinued the product in 2011.

When the iPhone not only took significant market share but redefined what the mobile experience should be, Microsoft attempted to battle it with the Kin, a small phone focused on social-networking with a physical keyboard. Zune was a roaring success compared with the Kin, which was discontinued less than two months after its 2010 release, then quickly failed again in a second attempt.

This animated paper clip was the source of nightmares for Microsoft Office users around the turn of the millennium. Meant to help users accomplish tasks, the digital assistant instead aggravated users who knew what they were doing, slowed down less-powerful systems and became the butt of jokes world-wide.

While Microsoft turned off Clippy as the Office default option and eventually removed it from the program completely, it lives on as meme fodder, especially after Ballmer’s purchase of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Mandy Cheng/AFP/Getty Images

Slide 6 of 8

Windows 8

More than one version of Microsoft’s core operating system could turn up on this list; Windows Vista and Windows ME were universally scorned. But Windows 8 was supposed to be the system that caught up with Apple’s iOS and OS X by offering a solution that worked both on desktop and mobile. Instead, critics were harsh, bugs were plentiful and even longtime fans were put off by the disappearance of the Start button.

Windows eventually released an updated Windows 8.1 that somewhat quelled anger, and is preparing to release its next version, Windows 10.

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Bill Gates launched Windows XP in 2001. With it came Internet Explorer 6.

Slide 7 of 8

Internet Explorer 6

Consumers likely remember Internet Explorer 6 as the browser that led to their first virus. Longtime Microsoft employees and investors remember it as the program that led to damaging antitrust fights at home and abroad. The web browser was bundled with Windows XP, forcing users to use it instead of young competitors like Netscape, which led to those costly antitrust battles.

Netscape was acquired by AOL in 1999. Microsoft’s main browser competitors today are Firefox and Google Inc.’s
GOOG, +1.14%
Chrome.

Getty Images

Bill Gates launched Windows XP in 2001. With it came Internet Explorer 6.

Slide 8 of 8

Internet Explorer 6

Consumers likely remember Internet Explorer 6 as the browser that led to their first virus. Longtime Microsoft employees and investors remember it as the program that led to damaging antitrust fights at home and abroad. The web browser was bundled with Windows XP, forcing users to use it instead of young competitors like Netscape, which led to those costly antitrust battles.

Netscape was acquired by AOL in 1999. Microsoft’s main browser competitors today are Firefox and Google Inc.’s
US:GOOG
Chrome.

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